Cliff Yates' latest collection of poems is ‘Frank Freeman’s Dancing School’ (Salt). His previous collections have won the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize, the Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet Competition and an Arts Council England Writer’s Award. During his time as Poetry Society poet-in-residence he wrote 'Jumpstart Poetry in the Secondary School.’

“Cliff Yates is one of my favourite poets. If he was in a band that band would produce hit singles that would linger in your head for years and if he was a greengrocer his vegetables would always be startling shapes. There’s childhood here, and love, and a way of seeing the world with the wrappers off that is, ultimately, Yatesian.” Ian McMillan

"A sort of martial art: it stands there looking slight and friendly but in reality it’s using the reader’s own strength against herself till she ends up flat on the mat not knowing what’s hit her" Janet Fisher

“Jumpstart is the best aid to the teaching of poetry writing since Sandy Brownjohn’s work of the 1980s.” Gordon Wilson in The Teacher

Sunday, December 19, 2010

In 2011 Buzzwords will be holding a poetry competition in order to raise funds for the costs of running our meetings. We hold regular poetry readings/work-shopping sessions with guest poets and open mic for anyone who wants to read out a poem or two of their own.

If you wish to volunteer as part of our efforts to publicise this competition please contact the site administrator from the link on the right of this page.